How Do I Control Algae During the Summer?

Summer—the time for barbecues, swimming, and, if you’re not careful, a pond overgrown with algae.  But summer water garden care doesn’t have to be a chore if you take action early. Algae needs four things to grow—Nutrients, Carbon Dioxide, Sunlight, and Warmth. Use the following summer gardening tips to deprive algae of these four essential factors, and you can stop it from ever becoming a problem in the first place.

Nutrient Removal Promotes Algae Control in Ponds During the Summer

Algae develops when a pond is over-saturated with certain nutrients, and the main nutrient algae need is phosphorus.  There are many options available to reduce overall phosphorus levels in your pond water.  Adding any of the following to pond water will help lower phosphorus levels and will not harm fish or vegetation:

  • Beneficial Bacteria
  • Aluminum Sulfate
  • Barley Straw

Carbon Dioxide’s Role in Summer Water Garden Care

Having a pond filled with a variety of plants can help reduce algae.  This is because the algae must then compete with other plants for all-important carbon dioxide, which is a vital ingredient for photosynthesis.

Reducing Sunlight for Algae Control

If your pond does not have a lot of other vegetation, you might instead want to focus on removing the other key ingredient for photosynthesis—sunlight.  While you may be able to keep your pond shaded by planting trees close to the shore, a more practical way to do this is with shading water treatments such as pond boss® Pond Blue.  These treatments shield pond water from UV rays that algae needs to grow.

Temperature Controlling Summer Garden Tips

One major reason algae tend to thrive in the summer is that it needs warm water to grow.  Having a strong pond pump and filters aerates and circulates pond water. This process lowers the temperature just a little, enough to help with algae control in ponds during the summer.

Filters are also great for removing algae that are already growing, and the aeration caused by the water movement helps replace carbon dioxide with fresh oxygen.

By attacking algae’s four main needs—nutrients, carbon dioxide, sunlight, and warmth, you can enjoy a pond with clear and clean water year-round.

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